Just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean you have to keep doing it
I used to think saying “no” was a luxury reserved for the ultra-successful.
Then something happened that made me realize:
It’s actually a decision.
A few days ago I was walking along the sea with my best friends.
Sun set. Deep life talk.
And I told them something that surprised even me.
“I have this consulting client who wants me to run sales as a fractional CXO,” I said.
“They’re ready. They want to pay. But…I just don’t want to do it.”
They looked at me like I was insane.
“What? You’d be so good at that! Why don’t you want to?”
I shrugged.
“I just don’t want to do that kind of work anymore. I’m over it. I’d rather go deep on strategy.”
And then one of them stopped and said something that punched me in the chest:
“Wow. That’s insane. I wish I could do that.”
“I wish I could choose like that. Imagine going into the office tomorrow and saying I just don’t wanna do that. But I’ve got bills. I still have to show up even when I hate it.”
And that’s when it hit me.
The freedom I’ve created?
I take it for granted.
There was a time when I would’ve jumped at that CXO offer.
When I needed the income and I couldn’t say no.
When “preference” wasn’t part of the equation.
But now?
I get to say no to things I’m good at—just because they don’t feel right anymore.
I’m no longer scared.
I finally trust myself.
Quote of the Week
“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.”
Dolly Parton
Saying No Is a Skill
And then something even crazier happened.
I told the client I wasn’t interested in that role.
And he said:
“That’s great. Tell me what you want to do. Let money not be the reason we work together. Let’s find a way to make it happen.”
That moment stunned me.
For the first time I realized:
- I can define how I work.
- I can design my own services.
- I can build my freedom—and still get paid.
Maybe the truth is that saying NO isn’t reckless—it’s revolutionary.
Saying no can be part of becoming who you’re meant to be.
Deciding that “not this” can be just as powerful as knowing “what’s next.”
There’s a Market for What You Want to Sell
If you’re on my email list, there is a slight chance that you are “middle aged”.
And if you’re middle aged, you’ve got 15–20+ years of experience.
Odds are, you’ve crushed targets and scaled systems.
And you’ve become quite good at one or two particular things you do.
But that doesn’t mean your next chapter needs to look anything like your last.
I said no to that CXO sales gig because it didn’t align.
And when I did? The client didn’t vanish.
That one sentence flipped a switch.
For years, I thought I had to sell what people expected from my LinkedIn.
My ‘safe’ services.
The stuff that screamed credible.
But last week something hit me in the face like never before. And I realised this:
There is a market for what you actually want to do.
You just have to believe it exists before you see it.
This is the quiet power of building something on your own terms.
No social media required either.
You just have to name it.
And trust that someone out there wants it.
I found some data to back me up too:
- In a study published in Journal of Business Venturing, women who designed offers around their values and preferences had 38% higher long-term client retention than those who replicated past job roles.
- Another report from McKinsey – Women in the Workplace showed that mid-career women who shifted from execution to strategy roles reported 41% higher satisfaction and twice the income stability after two years.
In other words, you GET to build what fits your life now.
Not the title you used to wear. Nor the job someone else expects you to do.
I used to think freedom was a dollar amount.
Now I know it’s a decision and a design.
OWN IT
Saying no to money doesn’t make me reckless.
It makes me precise in the best possible way.
You can be:
- Deeply grateful for your corporate success and be done with it.
- Wildly talented at something and choose to walk away.
You are so much more than your job title.
You are the strategist of your life. But this will require you to build it with intention.
Burnout doesn’t always start with exhaustion.
Sometimes, it starts with ambivalence.
“I could do it, but I don’t want to…”
That feeling?
If it hits you, follow it.
Weekly Action Plan
✔ Offer-Build – Revisit your current offer suite. Which services drain you? Kill one this week. → [Use the Audit to clarify what stays/goes]
✔ Visibility – Post a short story on LinkedIn about one “no” that unlocked a better “yes.” Bonus points if you tag me—I’ll amplify it.
✔ Pipeline – Reach out to a past client and propose a new way to work together—on your terms.
✔ Mindset – Journal this: What would you offer if you believed there was a market for it?
See you in the inbox next Wednesday. If you’ll excuse me, I need another coffee now.
Claudia
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